Renegotiating Sustainable Agricultural Concession Agreements: The case of Liberia

This case study, part of the IISD 'Stories of Change' series, details Liberia's efforts to renegotiate large-scale agricultural concession agreements following its civil war. Through an interview with Ciata Bishop, the document explains how the government transitioned from outdated 'scoop and ship' contracts to a transparent, regulated framework designed to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) while ensuring community benefits, food security, and job creation.

• Following the civil war (1989-2003), the Liberian government under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf sought to replace outdated agricultural contracts based on a "scoop and ship" mentality—where raw materials were exported with minimal domestic processing—with agreements that would revive the economy and create jobs.
• Two primary legal instruments facilitated the renegotiation of contracts and improved the governance of foreign direct investment: the Public Procurement and Concessions Act of 2005 (amended 2010), which provided a transparent roadmap for the process, and the Investment Act of 2010, which established a screening process for FDI involving the National Investment Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and the Liberia Revenue Authority.
• Legal and administrative reforms introduced specific constraints on land deals, including capping long-term concessions at 50 years and identifying sensitive sectors excluded from foreign investment. The government also implemented a model template agreement to establish "red lines" and parameters that could not be deviated from during negotiations.
• To improve oversight and transparency, Liberia established the National Bureau of Concessions to monitor contract compliance and launched the National Concessions Portal of Liberia, an online platform that maps concessions and identifies affected communities to help monitor land under-utilization.
• The government shifted toward a baseline of minimum requirements for investors to ensure social and economic benefits, including the creation of community development committees composed of community members, government representatives, and concessionaires to ensure local participation.
• Effective community engagement in negotiations required two critical factors: translating or summarizing agreements into simple English and involving district or county authorities who could explain nuances in regional dialects.
• Despite the reforms, the government identified weaknesses in the implementation of community development provisions and a poor communications strategy that failed to adequately explain project timelines, leading to disinformation and false expectations.

APA

Picard, F., & Maina, N. (2021). Renegotiating Sustainable Agricultural Concession Agreements: The case of Liberia. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-11/renegotiating-sustainable-agricultural-concession-agreements-liberia.pdf

Chicago

Picard, Francine, and Nyaguthii Maina. Renegotiating Sustainable Agricultural Concession Agreements: The case of Liberia. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-11/renegotiating-sustainable-agricultural-concession-agreements-liberia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Picard |first1=Francine |last2=Maina |first2=Nyaguthii |title=Renegotiating Sustainable Agricultural Concession Agreements: The case of Liberia |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-11/renegotiating-sustainable-agricultural-concession-agreements-liberia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{picard2021renegotiating, author = {Picard, Francine and Maina, Nyaguthii}, title = {{Renegotiating Sustainable Agricultural Concession Agreements: The case of Liberia}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-11/renegotiating-sustainable-agricultural-concession-agreements-liberia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }